Covid-19: Deal to increase JobSaver, disaster relief payments rise

Federal disaster relief payments are set to increase from $600 per week to potentially as much as $750 per week for Sydney workers facing the prospect of a minimum four more weeks in lockdown.

Federal disaster relief payments will increase from $600 per week to $750 per week for Greater Sydney workers facing the prospect of a minimum four more weeks in lockdown.

“We will be further increasing the level of support through the Covid Disaster Payment,” Prime Morrison Scott Morrison said from The Lodge Wednesday.

“We will be increasing from next week the maximum payment of $600 to $750 and we will be increasing the payment for less than 20 hours from $375 to $450,” he said.

“In addition to that, we will be extending support to those who are on welfare payments and they will be able to receive a payment if they have lost more than eight hours of $200.”

Mr Morrison also said there was “no shortcut” to the lockdown in Sydney, as he asked people to abide by restrictions and get vaccinated.

“There is no other shortcut, there is no other way through. We have to just hunker down and push through.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announces the changes at The Lodge in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The announcement comes after the premier this morning revealed NSW businesses would be eligible for more economic support after the state and federal governments hashed out a deal to increase eligibility and payments under the JobSaver program.

Under the deal, which Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the state “fought our guts out” for, the cap on payments to eligible businesses will rise from $10,000 to $100,0000 per week based on the level of payroll, with the maximum turnover threshold raised from $50 million to $250 million.

For sole traders and non-employing businesses, the payment will remain at $1,000 per week.

NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet (right) during Wednesday’s COVID-19 press conference in Sydney alongside Deputy Premier John Barilaro (left). Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

“We have made it clear that businesses can’t reduce headcount,” NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said, explaining the goal of the payments was to “make sure that workers remain connected to their businesses as we move through this lockdown period.”

It is anticipated that the move will mean as many as 430,000 business, with a total of 3.3 million, will be eligible for the payments.

Mr Perrottet said that businesses should be “patient” with ServiceNSW as they applied for the payments.

“We want to get the money out of the door as quickly as possible. We appreciate the work from the Federal Government which is helping our ability to deliver the program,” he said.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian gives a COVID-19 update in North Sydney on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: “These businesses are the ones we all need still standing to drive the recovery on the other side,”

“Our support has never been set and forget and even before Service NSW had started to deliver the support on Monday that we announced earlier this month, my government had been looking at what else businesses would require to strongly emerge on the other side of this lockdown.

“Whether you’re a worker who has lost their income or a business that’s suffering, even more help is on the way,” he said.

Originally published as Covid-19: Deal to increase JobSaver, disaster relief payments rise